Methods For The Diagnosis Of Fetal Abnormalities

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods for detecting, enriching, and analyzing rare cells that are present in the blood, e.g. fetal cells. The invention further features methods of analyzing rare cell(s) to determine the presence of an abnormality, disease or condition in a subject, e.g. a fetus by analyzing a cellular sample from the subject.

1 .- 57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . A method for determining a fetal aneuploidy consisting of:
 obtaining a sample other than amniotic fluid sample from a pregnant female;   enriching one or more fetal cells from said sample using size-based separation, wherein said size-based separation is performed by flowing said sample or a fraction thereof through an array of obstacles that selectively directs cells larger than a predetermined size to a first outlet and cells smaller than said predetermined size to a second outlet, and wherein said array of obstacles for size-based separation is fluidly coupled with a second array of obstacles, wherein at least a portion of said obstacles of said second array are coated with binding moieties that specifically bind to one or more cell populations in said sample;   obtaining one or more nucleic acid molecules from said enriched fetal cells;   amplifying said one or more nucleic acid molecules; and   analyzing said one of more amplified nucleic acid molecules by mass spectrometry.